Matera

​The second oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. For more than 9,000 years people have lived in the caves in the mountains.

Granted UNESCO world heritage site honors in 1993. 

European Capitol for Culture in 2019. 

This is Matera.

This city is fascinating. Until 1952 poor people lived in the caves - with their animals - in the sides of mountains without any power or water. The government removed them due to disease and sickness. It was considered, at that time, to be Italy’s greatest shame.

Today the city is the country’s architectural star. These people still live in caves, but in much different circumstances. In fact, we are staying in a renovated cave house that, on the inside shows no signs of being a cave.

We arrived last night to an opera singer performing, and the acoustics of the limestone carried her voice through the SASSI.

The stairs here among the mountain levels and elevation zones are no joke. 

Today we took a historical walking tour and learned about their complex system for collecting water in underground cisterns.

The area hosts more than 150 churches cut into the rock. We toured one of the oldest today.

After lunch, we visited one of the art museums with a Dali exhibit.

Keagan and I had our daily dose of gelato, and then we all went home to take naps. We spent the late afternoon hours on the balcony listening to the birds chirp - living La Dolce Vida.

We tried to be Italian and eat a late dinner. They typically eat at 9:00, when I’m already in bed. But tonight we held strong and stumbled upon a restaurant with terrace seating. We were there to see the sun set. 

The Old Town streets were teaming with people - all Italians - at 9:30. All were out for gelato, sitting at outdoor trattorias having dinner, and enjoying the much cooler temperatures. 

We are on the road again tomorrow to see Puglia.